In this episode, Food & Drink Business editor Kim Berry is joined by Michele Stansfield, Co-Founder and CEO of precision fermentation start-up Cauldron, to discuss how the company is unlocking the next evolution of the way we produce food, feed, and fibre globally. Michele outlines how Cauldron has created a continuous hyper-fermentation platform, which is highly efficient, lower in costs, and reduces commercial risk.   LINKS: Cauldron set to supercharge precision...

In this episode, Food & Drink Business editor Kim Berry is joined by Professor Paul Wood, a board member at the Australian Academy of Technology & Engineering, to talk about the economic realities of cultivated meat. We discuss its viability, the logistics, and challenges associated with the field, including costs, regulatory matters, marketing, and scalability. LINKS: Vow applies to FSANZ for cultured quail...

In this episode, Food & Drink Business editor Kim Berry is joined by Ray Hanly, CEO of Beak & Johnston, and Aiden Heke, CEO of Decision Inc Australia, about using data analysis services to expand businesses. We start off by discussing the role that data analysis plays in growing a business, and the move from lagging data to live data to better respond to changes in consumer behaviours. Ray and Aiden give us an insight into how they undertake analysis of sales and supply chain data,...

In this episode, Food & Drink Business editor Kim Berry is joined by Lisa Rippon Lee, Vice President, Public Affairs, Communications & Sustainability for Australia, at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) and John Tortora, Group Chief Procurement & Sustainability Officer at Asahi Beverages. We discuss Circular Plastics Australia, the collaborative joint venture between the two beverage giants, Pact Group, and Cleanaway to close the loop on PET...

In this episode, Food & Drink Business editor Kim Berry is joined by the ANZ managing director for ePac Flexibles, Jason Brown, and RED Group’s marketing and communications manager, Rebecca Gleghorn. We get an insight into how ePac provides innovative flexible packaging solutions and the role RED Group plays in recycling soft plastics in Australia. We explore the importance and benefits of soft plastics, dispel misconceptions on plastic packaging and recycling, and discuss advancements...

In a wide-ranging discussion, Food & Drink Business editor Kim Berry talks to Mondelez International president ANZ/Japan and chair of the Australian Food & Grocery Council about the local - and global - food and beverage sector. ------------------------------ The Food & Drink Business Podcast is produced by Southern Skies Media on behalf of Food & Drink Business, owned and published by Yaffa Media (www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au). The views of the people featured on this...

In the largest Asia-Pacific consumer research project for consultancy Bain & Co, 16,000 consumers in 11 different countries were surveyed and 50 hours of one-on-one interviews completed, to gain a greater understanding of consumer attitudes and experience with sustainability and the role it plays in the products they buy. Food & Drink Business editor Kim Berry talks to the report's lead author and associate partner at Bain, Zara Lightowler, and Bain partner and head of APAC Consumer...

With more than 20 years-experience with multinational food business Mars, Andrew Loader was looking for a new project to try doing business a little differently. Openway Food Co. is the result. With co-founder Gavin Evans and backing from private equity group Five V, Openway acquired three health food companies, Annex Foods with brands including Red Tractor, healthy snack company Table of Plenty, and Keep in Cleaner. Loader talks about the different approach, with the acquisitions designed...

From growing up in the lentil belt of Canberra, to co-founding one of the country's leading craft breweries, Capital Brewing Co, Laurence Kain talks to and Food & Drink Business editor Kim Berry about being Australia's first climate active certified fully carbon neutral brewery. Laurence and co-founder Tommy Hertel opened the brewery in 2016 after successfully running venues in Canberra and building friendships with Sydney craft brewing icons Young Henry's and Grifter Brewing...

Australian Native Products is the world's largest grower and supplier of lemon myrtle. In this episode Food & Drink Business editor Kim Berry talks to general manager Ross Norris about the business and this, the queen of lemon herbs. We start off discussing the history of Australian Native Products, its expansion, and establishing a consistent, high quality, organic product. Ross explains how ANP processes the crop to preserve the flavour and medicinal qualities of the lemon myrtle. We...

Food & Drink Business editor Kim Berry catches up with SPC chair Hussein Rifai on the company's local and global growth, food as medicine, and the domestic challenge of building a level playing field for home grown products and imports. We start with the recent news of a $111m raise and how its value was more than financial. Hussein explains that with the investment coming from Australian companies, the value of new perspectives and ideas is amplified because they understand the local...

Food & Drink Business editor Kim Berry talks to the three directors of The Upcycling Initiative (TUI) Foods: Peter Taitoko, Tony Cartwright, and Mike Nagorcka. We meet each of the men and discuss the experience they bring to the company - Peter's long background in processing and fitout with his company RMR Process; Tony's equally esteemed background in FMCG; and Mike's experience as a fifth-generation farmer. The discussion moves to how the business came about - and how a shared...

Food & Drink Business editor Kim Berry talks to Chantale Millard, the CEO and managing director of Maggie Beer Holdings, about its growth from the company selling products from Australia's culinary icon Maggie Beer to where it stands today, a scalable premium ecommerce and omni channel business, set to meet its group revenue guidance of $100 million for FY22 Chantale recounts her history with the company, from originally working with Maggie and Colin Beer on Maggie Beer Products to being...

The industry leader when it comes to aseptic carton packaging systems and solutions SIG has paired with Australia's premium stock and bouillon brand Massel to launch its latest range in Australia. In this episode, Food & Drink Business editor Kim Berry talks to Baris Altay, SIG's ANZ marketing and business development manager, and Mark Caine, the marketing director for Massel, about the new carton and what makes it unique. When most of us pour that stock into our risotto or soup we pay...

Brianna Casey is the CEO of Foodbank Australia, Australia's largest food relief organisation that provides essential food & groceries to front line charities around the country. In this episode, Brianna talks to Food & Drink Business editor Kim Berry about food insecurity and its prevalence within all walks of life in Australia. Even before the Black Summer bushfires and COVID, Foodbank was helping 815,000 Australians every month to obtain essential, safe, healthy and culturally...

Ray Hanly left his Irish homeland to join Beak & Johnston, one of Australia's largest chilled ready meal manufacturers. His goal was to not only grow the company, but to change the minds of Australian consumers about prepared meals. In this episode, Ray talks to Food & Drink Business editor Kim Berry about what that involves. Ray talks about the challenge of breaking down consumer mistrust in the sector and the critical need to listen to consumers if you want to succeed. He talks...

Duxton Vineyards produces around six per cent of Australia's annual wine grape supply, but the business is committed to a lot more than high quality grapes. In this episode, Food & Drink Business editor Kim Berry talks to Duxton's managing director Wayne Ellis and environmental manager Dylan Klingbiel about what sets the company apart. Wayne provides an overview of the company, with more than 2400 hectares of wine grapes in the Mildura and Sunraysia districts of the Murray-Darling...

Global food futurist Tony Hunter is back, talking to Food & Drink Business editor Kim Berry about the latest developments in food tech, from cultured meat to mycoprotein and beyond. In our second episode with Tony, he is straight out of the gate reminding us that the future of food is technology and not just those traditionally associated with food and beverage. We talk about how technology from medical fields and AI are now active in the sector, with change occurring faster than...

For Tim Noakesmith, it has been quite the non-linear career trajectory to his current role as co-founder of cultured meat company, Vow. But when you know he's life goal was to have a major impact on the world, it makes sense he is now at the helm of one of the international leaders in this ground-breaking field. We start with Vow's origin story and the basics of how cultured meat is made. Tim explains the quest to cross the 'uncanny valley', that space when something doesn't feel - or taste...

Food & Drink Business editor Kim Berry talks to Coca-Cola Europacific Partners vice president and general manager of Australian, Pacific and Indonesia Peter West about the transition from Coca-Cola Amatil to CCEP, how the company navigated the pandemic, and his leadership experience and goals. ------------------------------ The Food & Drink Business Podcast is produced by Southern Skies Media on behalf of Food & Drink Business, owned and published by Yaffa Media. The views of...

Food & Drink Business editor Kim Berry talks to Grant Davidson, managing director of Davidson Branding, about the changes in consumer behaviour and the increase in startups in the FMCG sector. The episode opens with Grant commenting on the roller coaster of fundamental shifts in shopper behaviour over the last 18 to 24 months, with COVID speeding up some changes but also the Millennials becoming the most influential consumers and Gen-Z coming of age. He notes that these two groups love...

Food & Drink Business editor Kim Berry talks to Scott Fry, co-founder of Loving Earth, a maker of vegan, organic, fair trade chocolate, about making amazing chocolate, climate and digital assets. From years spent in India and Mexico working with small Indigenous farming cooperatives, Scott talks about how witnessing the impact of urbanisation, industrial expansion, mining, and the destruction of the natural environment as small holder farmers were moved off their land. His passion and...

Food & Drink Business editor Kim Berry talks to James Ajaka, CEO of Darrell Lea, about his first year running the company and what we can look forward to from Darrell Lea. We start the episode with James reviewing the highlights of his first year as CEO, the importance of balancing available resources against opportunities and the benefits being realised from efforts made by previous teams within Darrell Lea. This transitions into a discussion on the future initiatives the company is...

Food & Drink Business editor Kim Berry talks to deep tech venture capital company Main Sequence director Phil Morle about synthetic biology, Australia's role and potential in the sector and projects already underway. We look specifically at precision fermentation, its ability to recreate animal fats and why that will be key in shifting consumers to a plant-based diet. As the global population grows, the reality of needing to produce more food using less space becomes increasingly urgent....

Food & Drink Business editor Kim Berry talks to Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith, Australia's Women in STEM Ambassador, Skye Raward, the co-founder of Food Futures, and Dr Kirsten Wilkie, senior beverage technologist at Givaudan, about the increasing the presence of women in STEM related fields. The episode starts with Lisa providing a review of statistics for women undertaking STEM related studies and remaining in STEM roles after graduating before noting the improvements businesses are...